Jah Reid

The Ravens continue to thrive despite the fact they have had to battle a slew of injuries as well as opponents. The Ravens are 8-2 and have a two-game cushion in the AFC North even though they played without reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Terrell Suggs for six weeks, lost cornerback Lardarius Webb and linebacker Ray Lewis to season-ending injuries, and have seen other starters such as Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, defensive end...

Ravens 13, Steelers 10 Strategy: Cam Cameron tried a rock 'em sock 'em approach to keep the Steelers honest and make them respect play-action, but Ray Rice was stonewalled by an aggressive, top-ranked defense. The Ravens didn't try to run in short-yardage situations because stocky nose guard Casey Hampton is practically immovable inside. The Ravens utilized bunch formations and didn't lack for deep shots, albeit errant ones. Ball security was huge with no turnovers committed despite some near interceptions by Joe Flacco.

The Ravens are six games away from completing the 2012 regular season, and they are approaching the time when a team might consider signing its franchise quarterback to a contract extension. So far, it hasn't happened for quarterback Joe Flacco and you have to wonder what front office members of the Ravens might be thinking. If this season is Flacco's final case to show he deserves to be one of the highest paid quarterbacks in the NFL, then he might have raised some doubt. In home games this season Flacco has completed 115 of 173 passes for 1,612 yards, 10 touchdowns and completed 29 passes for 20 yards or more.

Every morning, Monday through Friday, blogger Matt Vensel will hook you up with reading material -- mostly on the Ravens but with some other Baltimore sports stuff, too -- to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday. That way he'll have an excuse to do the same to start his workday, too. RUNNING IT BACK Now that the Oakland Raiders are behind them, the Ravens can look ahead to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the tough stretch of games that will follow . … Mike Preston says the Steelers can exploit the Ravens secondary . … Coach John Harbaugh praised defensive coordinator Dean Pees for making tweaks to his scheme . … Safety Ed Reed apologized for his bad day . … The Ravens were pleased with all their batted passes . RAVENS STUFF, BUT NOT FROM US Steelers week is Harbaugh's favorite time of the year . … The entire season has been building to this point . … Quarterback Joe Flacco spread the ball around against the Raiders . … Tight end Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson helped him snap out of a funk . … Jah Reid stepped up for the Ravens at left guard . BEHIND ENEMY LINES The Steelers needed overtime to beat the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night.

Ravens free safety Ed Reed was upset with his performance following a 55-20 rout of the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, so much so that he was apologetic afterward. The former NFL Defensive Player of the Year ricocheted off of former University of Maryland wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, missing the tackle on a 55-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter. Reed incurred a right shoulder stinger and didn't finish the game, but not because of his injury. "Just had a bad day," Reed wrote on his Twitter account.

The Ravens held out five starters from practice Wednesday, including two offensive linemen and Pro Bowl defensive players Haloti Ngata and Ed Reed . Right guard Marshal Yanda (knee) and left guard Bobbie Williams (ankle) and defensive end Pernell McPhee (thigh) were also sidelined. At this point, none of the five has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Oakland Raiders and Yanda, who had a magnetic resonance imaging test performed Monday that showed no structural damage, left little doubt that he'll play.

If you listen to all the criticism the Ravens have taken from the so-called experts and all the moaning their fans have done recently, you'd think they're a team on the verge of collapse. You'd think they were 2-5 instead of 5-2. You'd never know they have the second-best record in the AFC going into Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns, who are suddenly being portrayed as a team on the rise because they've won two of their last three, including that 7-6 snoozer over the free-falling San Diego Chargers two weeks ago. Let's get this straight: the Browns are not a good team.

When I keep hearing that second-year player Jah Reid might be getting some playing time at left guard, there is cause for concern. I knew he was a project when the Ravens drafted him in the third round out of Central Florida, but I haven't seen anything that would warrant him getting playing time. He has spent more time in the training room for rehab than on the practice and playing fields. I'm concerned. To be even having this conversation means the Ravens are in deep trouble at left guard.